Most mothers on Mother’s Day can at least depend on breakfast in bed, even if it is burned, cold toast. I have learned not to have any expectations because that way I can be grateful for whatever comes my way. Being a single mom has been everything from downright complicated to exhausting all the way to the most rewarding thing that I could possible ever experience. So when last Mother’s Day seemed to come and go with little effort from my daughters, I tried not to even hope for toast this year. Apparently though, they felt quite bad for last year’s miniscule efforts and they woke me up and with my pre-contact vision I could tell that the swishing of skirts indicated that they were indeed in their Regency dresses with their hair up in buns. I barely made out a curtsy from Madison when she said with a giggle, “It is time to get dressed.” Of course, I jumped out of bed and got into my own Regency dress feeling more excited then ever. I could smell all sorts of food cooking and I could faintly hear the soundtrack to Pride and Prejudice being played.

As I left my room, I was taken back in time as the papers from the ceiling counted down from 2014, 1999, 1976, 1861, 1830, and the last one was 1812. In front of me was my daughter Madison’s modern artwork of Pemberley and as I turned into the kitchen I had one more sign hanging from the ceiling . . . “Welcome to Pemberley”.

I couldn’t stop giggling that my girls had gone to so much trouble to put nice china out and make a smorgasbord of sausage, cut apples and oranges, yogurt, scrambled mixed eggs, and pastries. We all laughed and giggled as we pretended to speak in Regency language and pass the food with all the manners that from that era. I was shown a video where a bunch of kids tell their mother that they are good enough and beautiful and that is when the tears started flowing. They started showing me my other presents which included chocolates, new dishes I had asked for, a sweet letter from my daughter, Mr. “Jarcy” (that wasn’t a typo – Avery, my 8 year old, drew a picture of Mr. Darcy and put it in a jar with some flowers near my plate so I could eat with Mr. Darcy), and finally they told me I had two more gifts coming in the mail; a wax seal kit with the J stamp, as well as two pillows for my living room that have Pride and Prejudice quotes on them.

The forethought the girls put into the day would have been enough. The Mr. Jarcy would have been the perfect gift even if that is all they gave me. But they thought of everything from a tablecloth to burning candles to a wax seal kit. They really showed how much they wanted to make up for last year. It was so thoughtful and I could tell they had fun doing it. So what did I do after eating breakfast at Pemberley? I gave them their presents. I decided that with three girls, who will be mothers someday, that I wanted to give them something from me every year that will make them better mothers. So I framed a picture of the temple with a quote from my last blog on “thin places”. So I want to thank my daughters for working so hard and not making me burned toast in bed, but I would have been happy with it. This was the best Mother’s Day ever. I’ll take breakfast at Pemberley any day but I do think that Mr. Jarcy will need to be a tradition for it to be as perfect as it was this year. Thanks girls. I love you. Mom

This was so beautiful to read, you are very loved :) Happy Mother's Day!

Becky

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About the Author

Jeanna is a mother of three daughters, all whom are well versed in Pride and Prejudice; they are her best friends and the inspiration for her writing. She also proudly states she is the eighth of thirteen children. When she isn’t blogging, gardening, cooking, or raising chickens—or more realistically, writing—she is thoroughly ignoring her house for a few hours at a time in order to read yet another romance novel. Somewhere between being a mom, sister, writer, and cook, she squeezes in three 12-hour shifts each week as a Registered Nurse in a Neurological ICU. She finds great joy in her writing and claims she has never been happier.

Jeanna fell in love again with Jane Austen when she was introduced to the incredible world of Jane Austen inspired fiction. She can never adequately thank the fellow authors who mentored her and encouraged her to write her first novel. Through writing, Jeanna has gained something that no one can take away from her: hope for her own Mr. Darcy. More than anything, she hopes to prepare her three best friends to look for their own Mr. Darcy and to settle for nothing less. Jeanna’s works include: Mr. Darcy’s Promise, Pride and Persistence, To Refine Like Silver, Hope For Mr. Darcy, and Hope For Fitzwilliam. She is eagerly working on her first attempt at an original Regency romance novel: Inspired By Grace. For more information on these books, please visit her website, www.HeyLadyPublications.com